WEBVTT - Day One, Part Two at the US Open 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:03.960 This is Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Messer and Tim 0:00:04.000 --> 0:00:11.160 Stenebek on Bloomberg Radio. On the ball. 0:00:15.720 --> 0:00:18.119 Or you're hearing we're already getting fron Oh, we're having fun. 0:00:18.200 --> 0:00:21.119 We are having fun. We're at the US Open. And 0:00:21.160 --> 0:00:23.400 I have to say, last year I got to watch 0:00:23.440 --> 0:00:26.640 the amazing devil's matchup between Serena and Venus, and then 0:00:26.680 --> 0:00:30.560 watching Serena's last match, and I just think about the 0:00:30.640 --> 0:00:33.000 role that those two individuals have had on the game 0:00:33.040 --> 0:00:34.880 of tennis and really at the world at large. 0:00:35.159 --> 0:00:36.839 I got to see Venus play on Tuesday night. 0:00:36.880 --> 0:00:38.080 You did get to see Venus playing. 0:00:38.120 --> 0:00:41.640 I mean, what's amazing about Venus is she's literally playing 0:00:41.680 --> 0:00:44.839 against people who grew up seeing her win Grand Slams. 0:00:45.159 --> 0:00:45.920 It's remarkable. 0:00:45.960 --> 0:00:48.280 It is pretty remarkable. Who's also in market playing for 0:00:48.320 --> 0:00:50.080 a long time is the woman who's sitting next to 0:00:50.120 --> 0:00:53.040 us again, Katrina Adams, former President, chairman and CEO of 0:00:53.080 --> 0:00:56.280 the US Tennis Association, chair of the US Open as 0:00:56.320 --> 0:00:58.480 well as the chair of the International Tennis Federation Cup 0:00:58.520 --> 0:01:01.959 and Gender Equality and Tennis Committee, former Pro tennis pro 0:01:02.120 --> 0:01:05.840 double specialist. And I could go on and on and on. 0:01:06.240 --> 0:01:08.480 You're amazing thank you, Thank you for coming back and 0:01:08.520 --> 0:01:08.959 finding time. 0:01:09.000 --> 0:01:11.200 You're busy, always excited to be here with you guys. 0:01:11.240 --> 0:01:13.040 Well, tell us about what you're excited about this year 0:01:13.080 --> 0:01:13.560 at the Open. 0:01:13.680 --> 0:01:15.000 Oh my goodness, it's the US Open. 0:01:15.120 --> 0:01:18.640 It's spectacular, right, I mean everything that's happening here. 0:01:18.680 --> 0:01:21.120 I mean, you know, obviously you just mentioned Venus Williams. 0:01:21.120 --> 0:01:23.679 Just to see her back on the court again, you know, 0:01:23.760 --> 0:01:27.080 since nineteen ninety four. I was sitting in her box 0:01:27.120 --> 0:01:29.479 in nineteen ninety seven when she played her first final 0:01:29.560 --> 0:01:32.160 and lost to or Tina Hingis. I was here when 0:01:32.160 --> 0:01:36.240 she played the final against Serena Serena, her sister. Yeah, 0:01:36.280 --> 0:01:38.880 when Serena won in ninety nine. But you know, when 0:01:38.880 --> 0:01:41.200 you look at the emergence of Coco goa Off and 0:01:42.880 --> 0:01:47.559 Francis Tifo and Jess Pagoula, and and you know, Michael 0:01:47.600 --> 0:01:50.160 Mole look what he did today taking out John Isner 0:01:50.200 --> 0:01:51.800 and so many young players. 0:01:51.440 --> 0:01:52.120 Ben Shelton. 0:01:53.160 --> 0:01:56.800 It's exciting for the American players, Tommy Paul, There's so many. 0:01:57.400 --> 0:01:58.760 I can't even name them all right now. 0:01:58.800 --> 0:02:00.640 And you know there was a time I I can 0:02:00.720 --> 0:02:01.800 name them all on one hand. 0:02:02.120 --> 0:02:04.880 Does it feel like we're sort of in a you know, 0:02:05.240 --> 0:02:08.959 Andrea agascy Pete Sampress, Jim Curry or Michael Chang sort 0:02:09.000 --> 0:02:10.639 of era where we have these Americans. 0:02:10.960 --> 0:02:14.519 Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's let's let's yeah. 0:02:14.520 --> 0:02:17.519 I think that we have the ability to get there, 0:02:17.560 --> 0:02:20.400 because when you talk about Taylor Fritz and tfone in 0:02:20.440 --> 0:02:23.360 the top ten, and Paul Tommy Paul and knocking on 0:02:23.400 --> 0:02:26.239 the door and Ben Shelton, those guys are are knocking 0:02:26.280 --> 0:02:28.840 on the door. Yes, we'll get there, but until they 0:02:28.919 --> 0:02:32.320 start winning majors like Pete Samprass and Andrea Agassi and 0:02:32.400 --> 0:02:35.359 Jim Curry and Michael Chang, then it's it's a different 0:02:35.400 --> 0:02:36.280 it's a different story. 0:02:36.320 --> 0:02:39.360 But it's a long time That's good. 0:02:39.160 --> 0:02:40.800 But it's a long time coming to be able to 0:02:40.800 --> 0:02:44.120 talk about these guys being in these majors, get into 0:02:44.160 --> 0:02:47.560 the second weaves consistently, and then having some new names 0:02:47.600 --> 0:02:48.919 to join that on the men's side. 0:02:48.919 --> 0:02:49.600 We've always been. 0:02:49.480 --> 0:02:51.600 There on women's side, but to be able to talk 0:02:51.639 --> 0:02:54.440 about these these men is really exciting. 0:02:54.560 --> 0:02:56.400 Katrina. What is it that kind of keeps the younger 0:02:56.440 --> 0:02:57.880 generation coming back to tennis? 0:02:59.280 --> 0:03:01.760 I think being a to see players like we just 0:03:01.840 --> 0:03:04.400 mentioned on the court week in and week out, you know, 0:03:04.440 --> 0:03:07.000 and at these majors going deep to motivate the young 0:03:07.080 --> 0:03:09.799 kids to want to get into the sport. So when 0:03:09.840 --> 0:03:13.920 you talk about Fritz and TFO and Paul, you know 0:03:13.960 --> 0:03:16.360 who were they watching when they were young kids who 0:03:16.360 --> 0:03:19.239 motivated them to get into the sport. And for them, 0:03:19.320 --> 0:03:21.320 I think when they came up through the USC Player 0:03:21.360 --> 0:03:25.160 Development program, they really got to travel together, train together, 0:03:25.360 --> 0:03:28.560 motivate one another, push one another. They're still doing that, 0:03:29.600 --> 0:03:31.760 and they were looking up to the John Isners of 0:03:31.800 --> 0:03:34.280 the world, the Jack Socks of the world, both. 0:03:34.080 --> 0:03:35.360 Who are retiring. Here. 0:03:35.440 --> 0:03:38.400 John isn't played this last singles match here and he 0:03:38.520 --> 0:03:41.320 and Jack are playing doubles later today. It's just Jack's 0:03:41.400 --> 0:03:46.320 last tournament where he'll be retiring. So I think it's generational. 0:03:46.400 --> 0:03:49.080 You know, Mike and Bob they retired last year, two 0:03:49.160 --> 0:03:52.960 years ago now, Mike and Bob Ryan and so I think, 0:03:53.240 --> 0:03:57.200 you know, each generation inspires the next generation. And it's 0:03:57.240 --> 0:04:02.000 fun to watch these brotherhoods and sisterhood its form and development. 0:04:02.040 --> 0:04:05.080 I still have this question about access. You know, Tennis, 0:04:05.120 --> 0:04:06.880 for a lot of people looked at as like a 0:04:06.920 --> 0:04:10.600 country club sport still it's very expensive to get courts 0:04:10.640 --> 0:04:12.840 and cities, especially during the winter if you live somewhere 0:04:12.840 --> 0:04:17.800 where it snows, I mean Tiapo for example. Let's look 0:04:17.800 --> 0:04:20.080 at his story. Would he be a pro tennis player 0:04:20.120 --> 0:04:22.279 if his dad didn't work at a tennis center. I 0:04:22.279 --> 0:04:23.680 don't know if he answered that he. 0:04:23.680 --> 0:04:26.360 Could because he grew up in an NJTL program. 0:04:26.560 --> 0:04:30.000 So the program itself was accessible, The program itself was free. 0:04:30.520 --> 0:04:33.880 The program itself, you know, provided opportunity. I run a 0:04:33.920 --> 0:04:36.160 program like that here in Harlan, the Harlem Junior and 0:04:36.160 --> 0:04:40.200 Tennis an education program which provides access and opportunity for 0:04:40.440 --> 0:04:43.640 inner city youth. There are over two hundred those types 0:04:43.680 --> 0:04:47.719 of chapters in JTAIL chapters around the country, in addition 0:04:47.760 --> 0:04:52.000 to after school program, so access is available. It's not 0:04:52.040 --> 0:04:55.280 about having access. It's not about learning the sport. It's 0:04:55.320 --> 0:04:57.720 about once you develop to be a player and you 0:04:57.839 --> 0:05:00.800 become competitive, that's where the cost comes. 0:05:00.880 --> 0:05:04.040 Okay, here's my concern. Every tennis court I see is 0:05:04.040 --> 0:05:05.480 being turned into a pickleball court. 0:05:05.760 --> 0:05:07.839 Not every tennis court. Let's not. Let's not put that 0:05:07.880 --> 0:05:08.400 out there now. 0:05:08.520 --> 0:05:12.320 Is driving me crazy? Thank you. I know. This is 0:05:12.360 --> 0:05:14.000 when you when you speak to a serious tennis player 0:05:14.000 --> 0:05:15.600 and you ask them about pickleball, that's the answer. 0:05:16.200 --> 0:05:17.320 So I puts the challenge. 0:05:17.360 --> 0:05:19.560 So I think the challenge where you're looking at those 0:05:19.600 --> 0:05:23.680 courts are probably at clubs because clubs are about making money. 0:05:23.920 --> 0:05:25.839 So our club is looking at take in a court, 0:05:25.880 --> 0:05:29.080 one tennis court and turn into four pickleball courts where 0:05:29.120 --> 0:05:32.120 they can try. Now they've they've got sixteen players on 0:05:32.120 --> 0:05:34.919 a court versus four, right, So they're looking at the 0:05:34.960 --> 0:05:39.240 opportunity to be able to make more money. To you know, 0:05:39.279 --> 0:05:42.920 it's about monetization. But I also think, listen, I have 0:05:42.960 --> 0:05:45.320 nothing against pickleball. I think it's a great opportunity for 0:05:45.320 --> 0:05:49.599 people to get out and and get exercise, to have fun, 0:05:50.080 --> 0:05:53.640 to be social. I think it's fantastic. There's a great 0:05:53.640 --> 0:05:57.520 buzz out there, but it's about longevity. Where where where 0:05:57.600 --> 0:06:00.760 will it go? I think it's growing to think about it. 0:06:01.160 --> 0:06:02.840 But I also well, I don't want to say it's 0:06:02.839 --> 0:06:06.200 a fad because you want it. You want all the 0:06:06.279 --> 0:06:08.960 racket sports to succeed. It's a racket sport. We are 0:06:09.000 --> 0:06:11.760 a racket sport in tennis. But what I do want 0:06:11.920 --> 0:06:15.880 is that it's done right in that people are staying healthy. 0:06:16.120 --> 0:06:20.000 It's also a sport where the highest injuries are coming 0:06:20.200 --> 0:06:22.480 because everybody thinks they can go out and play pickleball 0:06:22.880 --> 0:06:25.680 and they're you know, they're running their knees and ankles 0:06:25.680 --> 0:06:28.440 and they're falling and this and that, and so I 0:06:28.480 --> 0:06:29.279 think there just has to be. 0:06:29.320 --> 0:06:30.960 A little more structured to it. 0:06:31.080 --> 0:06:33.240 You know, tennis is a skilled sport, and it's a 0:06:33.279 --> 0:06:37.320 mechanical sport, so is pickleball. But people aren't realizing that 0:06:37.400 --> 0:06:39.960 they're able to go out and learn and make you know, 0:06:40.120 --> 0:06:44.680 hand eye coordination quickly without really understanding the mechanics of 0:06:44.720 --> 0:06:47.080 it or the footwork of it, and that's where they're 0:06:47.080 --> 0:06:48.040 starting to get injured. 0:06:48.200 --> 0:06:49.880 What do you love that people talk about when it 0:06:49.880 --> 0:06:52.080 comes to tennis generally? What do you hate that they 0:06:52.080 --> 0:06:52.640 talk about? 0:06:53.400 --> 0:06:55.560 What I love is that it's a it's an individual 0:06:55.600 --> 0:06:58.880 sport where you can just go out and build your 0:06:58.920 --> 0:07:01.400 own self esteem, your self confidence. 0:07:01.480 --> 0:07:04.080 Right you're figuring it, Oh my gosh. Yes, I mean 0:07:04.240 --> 0:07:06.479 I love to compete. 0:07:06.680 --> 0:07:09.640 I'm a natural, boring competitor. So for me, it was 0:07:09.680 --> 0:07:13.000 about competing not just against you, but against myself and 0:07:13.040 --> 0:07:16.280 getting better, pushing myself to hit one extra ball pushing 0:07:16.320 --> 0:07:19.120 myself to go one more rally, pushing myself to do 0:07:19.200 --> 0:07:22.840 one more drill, and pushing myself to get better. Every 0:07:22.880 --> 0:07:25.760 single day I went on the court, learning a new shot, 0:07:25.920 --> 0:07:29.520 learning a new spend. And I think that's the thrill 0:07:29.720 --> 0:07:32.960 that I had that hopefully everybody else is having. You know, 0:07:33.200 --> 0:07:36.040 even I speak to a lot of older women that 0:07:36.160 --> 0:07:39.000 may not be started until they're forty, and they're going 0:07:39.000 --> 0:07:41.360 out and they're learning at forty fifty and they're becoming 0:07:41.400 --> 0:07:44.960 these three point zero level players and having so much fun, 0:07:45.000 --> 0:07:48.120 and just a thrill that excites me, the fact that 0:07:48.160 --> 0:07:50.600 you could start so late and have so much fun. 0:07:50.960 --> 0:07:53.480 It's not going out there being you know, playing here 0:07:53.480 --> 0:07:56.600 at the US Open for everybody, but just to go 0:07:56.680 --> 0:07:59.520 out and have fun and build a camaraderie with people 0:07:59.840 --> 0:08:04.120 and still have a competitive drive and natural competitive drive 0:08:04.160 --> 0:08:06.480 in yourself. So there's nothing that I hate about the sport. 0:08:06.560 --> 0:08:08.360 Okay, So then what I want to ask you is, 0:08:08.400 --> 0:08:10.600 I'm thinking about Michelle Obama, who at the beginning of 0:08:10.600 --> 0:08:13.080 the week was talking about just equality and pay, and 0:08:13.160 --> 0:08:15.160 here we are, and you know, Tim knows we talk 0:08:15.200 --> 0:08:16.600 about this all the time, that we continue to have 0:08:16.640 --> 0:08:18.920 these conversations, and it's the same thing with women in 0:08:19.120 --> 0:08:22.000 you know, the CEO role. How do you feel about it? 0:08:22.000 --> 0:08:24.080 Why does it take so long for their baby parody 0:08:24.160 --> 0:08:24.520 with pay? 0:08:25.960 --> 0:08:28.400 I think it's it's life, right, it's parody. There's no 0:08:28.480 --> 0:08:32.560 parody in plant pay anything that we have. So fifty 0:08:32.640 --> 0:08:34.760 years of equal pay here at the US Open, I 0:08:34.800 --> 0:08:38.640 mean that says a lot. Yeah, we finally have parody 0:08:39.080 --> 0:08:42.559 in pay at all of the Grand Slam events at 0:08:42.559 --> 0:08:46.360 the Open. Well, definitely have it at the US Open. Yeah, 0:08:46.360 --> 0:08:48.560 it was the first one. Yeah, fifty years here, we 0:08:48.679 --> 0:08:51.479 have it at all of the Grand Slams in Australian 0:08:52.480 --> 0:08:56.400 Roland girls and Wimbledon. Wimbledon was the last one two 0:08:56.480 --> 0:09:00.680 thousand and two, but or twelve. But when we look 0:09:00.760 --> 0:09:06.480 at the tours and we have our joint events and mint, 0:09:06.559 --> 0:09:09.680 the ATP event is still getting paid more than the 0:09:09.720 --> 0:09:11.560 women at the same event. 0:09:11.320 --> 0:09:13.240 The same week, significant location. 0:09:13.920 --> 0:09:15.000 That's where it's challenging. 0:09:15.080 --> 0:09:19.200 It's getting better, but it's about sponsorship, you know, why 0:09:19.200 --> 0:09:22.120 are we not getting the same level of sponsorship for 0:09:22.200 --> 0:09:24.959 the WTA or for the women events that the men 0:09:25.040 --> 0:09:28.760 are And so you know, thank God for villaging Kings. 0:09:28.760 --> 0:09:31.960 Fifty years ago to go out and find a sponsor 0:09:32.280 --> 0:09:36.199 to throw in the pot to make the prize money 0:09:36.200 --> 0:09:39.160 equal here at the US Open. That's because of her 0:09:39.360 --> 0:09:43.720 and Bristol Myers, who added fifty five thousand dollars to 0:09:43.800 --> 0:09:46.640 the women's prize money to make it equal to the men. 0:09:46.840 --> 0:09:48.280 And then they never look back. 0:09:48.360 --> 0:09:51.120 They realized how much of a great thing it was, 0:09:52.080 --> 0:09:54.960 and we were fortunate enough to be able to do 0:09:55.000 --> 0:09:55.800 that going forward. 0:09:55.880 --> 0:09:57.560 What's wild to me is that it's fifty years of 0:09:57.600 --> 0:09:59.560 equal pay here at the US Open. But there are 0:09:59.600 --> 0:10:02.600 so many other sports today where there's there's not even 0:10:02.600 --> 0:10:03.439 close to parody. 0:10:03.600 --> 0:10:05.800 Oh no, I mean when you look at the women's 0:10:05.800 --> 0:10:06.800 soccer U. 0:10:06.840 --> 0:10:07.280 S W. 0:10:08.920 --> 0:10:11.280 Women's national team, women's women's. 0:10:11.040 --> 0:10:15.760 National soccer team, it's it's it's crazy that that just happened, 0:10:16.000 --> 0:10:17.920 you know, and they fought for years when they were 0:10:17.960 --> 0:10:21.120 the better team with their better results at World Cup 0:10:22.240 --> 0:10:25.160 right exactly, And now you know, now we have a 0:10:25.200 --> 0:10:31.560 professional women's hockey team, it's we're constantly fighting. And you 0:10:31.559 --> 0:10:34.599 look at the women's NBA, the w n b A 0:10:35.200 --> 0:10:38.120 not yet do they have parody, even though it's a 0:10:38.120 --> 0:10:42.280 shorter season. But just look at when you look at 0:10:42.280 --> 0:10:45.080 the amenities. They don't even have their own private jets. 0:10:45.160 --> 0:10:49.520 Yet it's crazy to travel from from game to game. 0:10:50.280 --> 0:10:52.440 And it says something about whether people say, oh, we 0:10:52.480 --> 0:10:54.480 still think you're valuable. No, it says something about your 0:10:54.559 --> 0:10:55.360 value and your worth. 0:10:55.760 --> 0:10:56.960 It says a lot. 0:10:57.160 --> 0:10:59.120 And so we still have a long way to go, 0:11:00.240 --> 0:11:03.040 and it's something that we as professional athletes have been 0:11:03.040 --> 0:11:07.480 fighting for for a very long time, longer than fifty years, and. 0:11:09.040 --> 0:11:10.120 Hopefully we can get there. 0:11:10.520 --> 0:11:14.040 Hey, Katrina, one thing I wanted to ask you. You 0:11:14.080 --> 0:11:17.120 talked a little bit about earlier about what it took 0:11:17.160 --> 0:11:21.160 to be a professional tennis player, all the practice you wanted, 0:11:21.440 --> 0:11:24.200 having the desire to keep going. Tennis is a sport 0:11:24.240 --> 0:11:27.040 that drives individuals completely insane. I mean, you watch some 0:11:27.120 --> 0:11:30.319 of these players on the court and they're screaming at it, 0:11:30.360 --> 0:11:32.280 at themselves. And if you were watching one of those, 0:11:32.720 --> 0:11:34.200 so was I. If you're walking down the street and 0:11:34.200 --> 0:11:35.840 you were to see this person in the context of 0:11:35.880 --> 0:11:37.160 like the middle of the street, you would say that 0:11:37.160 --> 0:11:39.120 person actually needs help. But you see them on a 0:11:39.160 --> 0:11:41.880 tennis court and it's like totally normalized. 0:11:41.360 --> 0:11:42.360 And you're like, I get that. 0:11:42.240 --> 0:11:45.080 I get that. I'm wondering though, how you take that 0:11:46.120 --> 0:11:49.320 after you retire and you use that energy in your 0:11:49.360 --> 0:11:52.760 professional career, Like, does that keep going, that mental toughness 0:11:52.760 --> 0:11:53.480 that you built up? 0:11:54.280 --> 0:11:54.720 It does? 0:11:54.760 --> 0:11:59.440 And I think you know we are. We build ourselves 0:11:59.480 --> 0:12:03.240 to be perfect in everything that we do, and so 0:12:03.920 --> 0:12:08.480 there is no room for failure quote unquote failure, but 0:12:08.600 --> 0:12:12.680 only for improvement. So whatever we're doing and whatever profession 0:12:12.760 --> 0:12:15.720 that is, we want to be the best. And I 0:12:15.800 --> 0:12:19.280 know for a fact there are people that hire former 0:12:19.720 --> 0:12:26.199 professional tennis players or athletes because they understand winning. They 0:12:26.280 --> 0:12:30.240 know that they want to win, but they understand what 0:12:30.440 --> 0:12:33.559 losing feels like. So they want to hire them because 0:12:33.600 --> 0:12:35.199 they know that they're going to give it their all 0:12:35.280 --> 0:12:36.040 because they don't like. 0:12:36.000 --> 0:12:36.880 The feeling of losing. 0:12:37.480 --> 0:12:39.320 So they know that they're going to make sure that 0:12:39.320 --> 0:12:43.640 they're successful. And so I think that those our qualities 0:12:43.840 --> 0:12:46.839 and the life skills that we have that make us 0:12:46.880 --> 0:12:51.000 great in business, no matter what the business is. And 0:12:51.120 --> 0:12:53.199 you learn how to work as a team. Even though 0:12:53.240 --> 0:12:55.680 tennis is an individual sport, I still have a team. 0:12:55.960 --> 0:12:57.800 I gotta work with my coach, I gotta work with 0:12:57.840 --> 0:13:00.000 my physio, I got to work with whomever it is 0:13:00.000 --> 0:13:02.080 I got to work with whoever my practice partner is 0:13:02.080 --> 0:13:03.960 on the other side of the net, to make sure 0:13:04.000 --> 0:13:07.360 that our drills are going properly right. So, yeah, it's 0:13:07.360 --> 0:13:09.880 an individual sport when you're out there competing, but when 0:13:09.880 --> 0:13:13.559 you're training, it is teamwork. And so when you go 0:13:13.640 --> 0:13:17.800 into business, into the professional world outside of sport, or 0:13:17.840 --> 0:13:20.520 it could be business in sport, it's still working with 0:13:20.600 --> 0:13:24.040 a team and you're still driven to do and prepare. 0:13:24.040 --> 0:13:26.720 It's all about preparation. So for me to be the 0:13:26.720 --> 0:13:29.880 best on the court for my match, how well did 0:13:29.880 --> 0:13:34.400 I prepare? For me to do a presentation for you know, 0:13:34.440 --> 0:13:38.760 some job, or to get some deal, how well did 0:13:38.760 --> 0:13:42.520 I prepare? And I think that's what people are hiring 0:13:43.320 --> 0:13:46.079 or looking for in the qualities of individuals. 0:13:46.440 --> 0:13:50.480 You only have about thirty seconds left here. Any predictions here? 0:13:50.600 --> 0:13:51.440 Yeah, an American. 0:13:52.040 --> 0:13:53.959 Let's go on the men's side and the women's side. 0:13:54.080 --> 0:13:57.240 Let's go American. All right, go you think, so let's go. 0:13:57.720 --> 0:13:59.559 So we're back. We are back to the nineties. 0:14:00.520 --> 0:14:05.199 I go, do you still play? I do very little, 0:14:05.240 --> 0:14:08.200 but I do double singles. I just hit. I don't 0:14:08.240 --> 0:14:11.000 compete just well, I compete on the golf course. 0:14:10.920 --> 0:14:11.600 Oh that's right. 0:14:12.840 --> 0:14:14.160 Are you screaming yourself on the golf course. 0:14:16.160 --> 0:14:17.440 You know what we really want to know is do you 0:14:17.480 --> 0:14:22.480 throw clubs? But you're definitely hit though here. 0:14:22.560 --> 0:14:24.240 Thank you so much, good luck with everything. 0:14:24.280 --> 0:14:26.960 Thank you, Katrina Adams, former President, Chairman CEO of the 0:14:27.040 --> 0:14:30.800 US Tennis Association, former pro so much more so inspiring 0:14:30.880 --> 0:14:33.720 and so much fun. Thank you so much. You're listening 0:14:33.760 --> 0:14:36.720 and watching Blueberg Business Week Carol Masser along with Tim 0:14:36.760 --> 0:14:39.760 Stenovik live at the US Open here in Flushing Meadow. 0:14:39.840 --> 0:14:42.000 Of course, we're just outside the Arthur Ashe Stadium. A 0:14:42.000 --> 0:14:44.360 lot going on, a lot of people, a lot of 0:14:44.400 --> 0:14:45.400 tournaments going on. 0:14:45.520 --> 0:14:48.120 It is like a perfect day attendance record yesterday. 0:14:48.160 --> 0:14:49.800 I wonder what today. I bet it'll be pretty good 0:14:49.800 --> 0:14:49.920 to you. 0:14:49.960 --> 0:14:51.640 We'll find out the toward the end of the day. 0:14:51.720 --> 0:14:53.440 Maybe it'll be another record, all right. Well. 0:14:53.440 --> 0:14:57.480 One of the things, yeah, speaking of kind of getting 0:14:57.520 --> 0:15:00.280 to miles Stones and a lot of it has to 0:15:00.320 --> 0:15:03.360 do with equality when it comes to something like the 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:06.120 game of sports. If you think about racial integration in 0:15:06.160 --> 0:15:10.120 professional sports overall, you'd often think about Jackie Robinson in tennis. 0:15:10.200 --> 0:15:12.880 Althia Gibson really stands out She grew up in Harlem, 0:15:12.920 --> 0:15:15.440 not far from where we are now. In nineteen fifty six, 0:15:15.560 --> 0:15:17.800 she won what's now the French Open, becoming the first 0:15:17.880 --> 0:15:20.800 African American to win a Grand Slam. She went on 0:15:20.880 --> 0:15:23.400 to win Wimbledon and what's now the US Open. 0:15:23.520 --> 0:15:25.640 She broke many barriers, and even though she was one 0:15:25.680 --> 0:15:27.960 of the most famous women in the world, her success 0:15:28.000 --> 0:15:31.400 on the court didn't translate to financial stability, especially later 0:15:31.440 --> 0:15:33.960 in life. Ashley Brown is an assistant professor at the 0:15:34.000 --> 0:15:36.800 University of Wisconsin, Madison. She's written about the trials and 0:15:36.840 --> 0:15:39.920 triumphs of tennis champion Althia Gibson and her key role 0:15:39.960 --> 0:15:42.120 when it comes to the integration of American sports and 0:15:42.160 --> 0:15:44.680 for a time one of the most famous women in 0:15:44.720 --> 0:15:45.120 the world. 0:15:45.200 --> 0:15:48.320 Yeah, Ashley Brown book. Her book, Brown's Book, Excuse Me 0:15:48.480 --> 0:15:50.960 is only Arena, getting ahead, making a difference and succeeding 0:15:50.960 --> 0:15:52.960 as the only one out. In twenty twenty one, she 0:15:53.480 --> 0:15:56.800 Ashley Brown that is joins us on Zoom from Madison. 0:15:57.440 --> 0:15:59.160 Wisconsin, serving herself. 0:15:59.160 --> 0:16:00.720 Oh did I say, Oh, that's okay. 0:16:00.560 --> 0:16:03.240 We're talking about you know what? We got Katrina's book. Oh, 0:16:03.280 --> 0:16:06.320 I'm sorry that Katrina we got Serving herself. 0:16:05.880 --> 0:16:09.120 The Life and Times of Outthia Gibson. I'm so sorry, Ashley. 0:16:09.480 --> 0:16:11.760 It's funny because we wanted Katrina to stay it kind 0:16:11.760 --> 0:16:13.680 of talk with you. And she said as she was leaving, 0:16:14.080 --> 0:16:17.200 great book. And the reason that there's a statue about 0:16:17.240 --> 0:16:21.440 THEA Gibson here is because of her when she was 0:16:21.480 --> 0:16:24.240 head of the USTA. Anyway, welcome, welcome, welcome, and thank 0:16:24.280 --> 0:16:26.880 you so much for joining us. Tell us about your book. 0:16:28.120 --> 0:16:30.280 Thanks so much for having me. So the book is 0:16:30.320 --> 0:16:33.880 serving herself, The Life and Times of Althia Gibson. It's 0:16:33.920 --> 0:16:38.560 a comprehensive, full scale biography of Gibson. The first African 0:16:38.600 --> 0:16:41.360 American to compete at what is now the US Open, 0:16:41.520 --> 0:16:44.840 the first African American to win at the US Open, 0:16:45.480 --> 0:16:48.880 the first African American to compete and also win titles 0:16:48.920 --> 0:16:52.800 at Wimbledon. And Gibson was also the first African American 0:16:52.840 --> 0:16:56.480 woman to play on the LPGA tour. So she definitely 0:16:56.520 --> 0:17:00.200 broke through many barriers for many people and certainly for herself. 0:17:01.720 --> 0:17:03.960 Actually, what was the moment that you realized you wanted 0:17:04.000 --> 0:17:07.200 to write a book about this, this person, this person 0:17:07.200 --> 0:17:08.680 who broke so many barriers. 0:17:10.359 --> 0:17:12.960 Well, I grew up in South Carolina, so I was 0:17:13.040 --> 0:17:16.800 well aware of Althia Gibson's success in tennis, but it 0:17:16.800 --> 0:17:21.159 was many years later, actually in my early years as 0:17:21.160 --> 0:17:24.080 an adult. I'm a golfer. In fact, I played eighteen 0:17:24.080 --> 0:17:28.000 holes today, if you must know. And I remember deciding at. 0:17:27.960 --> 0:17:30.560 That point I wanted to learn more for a Thursday. 0:17:31.760 --> 0:17:35.320 Yeah, I decided that I wanted to learn more about 0:17:35.359 --> 0:17:37.560 the history of golf, and I wanted to learn more 0:17:37.560 --> 0:17:40.359 about the history of African Americans in the game of golf. 0:17:41.000 --> 0:17:44.840 And I learned that Gibson was again the first African 0:17:44.880 --> 0:17:48.359 American woman to play on the LPGA Tour. And I thought, 0:17:48.600 --> 0:17:51.720 this woman broke barriers in tennis, and then she did 0:17:51.760 --> 0:17:55.520 so in golf. I really must learn more about Althea Gibson. 0:17:55.680 --> 0:17:58.159 And thus began a ten year journey. 0:17:59.440 --> 0:18:02.400 Wow, tell us about that journey and some of the 0:18:02.960 --> 0:18:05.040 milestones in terms of learning more about her and the 0:18:05.080 --> 0:18:07.800 significance of her because it wasn't all always a lot 0:18:07.800 --> 0:18:09.240 of it wasn't easy to be fair. 0:18:10.640 --> 0:18:13.840 No, to use a phrase, her life was certainly not 0:18:13.920 --> 0:18:18.120 all moonlight and magnolia. She had a hard time from 0:18:18.160 --> 0:18:21.280 the very beginning. She was the daughter of sharecroppers. The 0:18:21.320 --> 0:18:24.840 family joined the Great Migration. By the early nineteen thirties, 0:18:24.840 --> 0:18:27.480 they were living in Harlem, which of course was a 0:18:27.520 --> 0:18:30.560 mecca for a number of people of African descent from 0:18:30.560 --> 0:18:33.800 around the world. The family was very poor. She was 0:18:33.800 --> 0:18:36.960 the oldest of five kids, and a great deal was 0:18:36.960 --> 0:18:40.840 expected of her. Gibson had a knack for coming to 0:18:41.000 --> 0:18:44.119 the attention of the right people at the right time, 0:18:44.359 --> 0:18:47.640 and in Harlem people began to notice what an exceptional 0:18:47.680 --> 0:18:50.920 athlete she was. Pretty soon she came to the attention 0:18:51.240 --> 0:18:54.520 of middle and upper class African Americans who loved the 0:18:54.560 --> 0:18:57.960 game of tennis. She excelled there, but of course she 0:18:58.080 --> 0:19:00.600 also had to learn the ropes. She also had a 0:19:00.680 --> 0:19:03.280 number of difficulties when it came to class. So this 0:19:03.359 --> 0:19:06.200 is someone who broke barriers and who challenged the status 0:19:06.280 --> 0:19:09.800 quo when it came to gender, race, and class, and 0:19:09.920 --> 0:19:12.480 we certainly see that in terms of her success in 0:19:12.560 --> 0:19:16.200 tennis and golf. I'm fond of thinking of Gibson as 0:19:16.240 --> 0:19:19.600 certainly a renaissance woman and someone who really refused to 0:19:19.600 --> 0:19:21.520 be held down. You know, there were a lot of 0:19:21.560 --> 0:19:24.399 people who said, no, you can't play tennis for this reason. 0:19:24.480 --> 0:19:27.479 You can't play golf for this reason, but she ignored 0:19:27.520 --> 0:19:30.480 those voices, and now she has such a rich legacy, 0:19:30.520 --> 0:19:33.600